Smartphones (usually those running the Android operating system) feature built-in microphones, although they are not of the finest quality. Lavalier microphone for android, thankfully, have a market. Learning how to capture high-quality audio on an Android device is now easier than ever. If you want to create a podcast or video series, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will tell you the necessary steps to record high quality audio on your android phone.
Choose the best lavalier microphone for android
One of the most simple ways to get clear sounds is to make the mic as close as possible to the sound source. But how to make it? An external recording microphone for android phone plays a big role since you definitely don’t want to shove your smartphone into the speaker’s face. And below we list some factors to consider for you to narrow down the options and pick the one that works well for your recording.
- Polar pattern: It refers to the directionality and from which direction the mic best captures sounds. Shotgun microphones are unidirectional and detect sound best from the front. These are ideal for noisy surroundings since they take up less background noise. Try omnimdirectional mic like lavalier microphone for android video recording if you're in a quieter setting, recording a group of talents talking from one mic, or wish to catch sound in the background. They catch up sound from all angles.
- Physical connection: How effectively does the microphone connect to or attach to the smartphone? Can it fit on the android phone if these is a protective case?
- Electrical connection: When attaching an external microphone to a smartphone, audio transmission, whether analog or digital, is crucial. How stable and clear is the electrical connection for signal transfer?
- Audio quality: How well does the microphone transducer transform sound into audio? In the event of digital connections (USB), how efficient is the analog-to-digital converter, and to what specifications does the microphone output digital audio?
- Durability: Is the microphone made to last, or is it made of cheap materials that readily break?
- Overall functionality: How simple is it to use the microphone, and what software, if any, is required for the microphone to work effectively with an Android smartphone? Does it comes with multiple functions like headphone monitoring?
Use an android app for recording external microphone
Many phones, including Android, include a voice recording app. Every Android phone will come pre-installed with the “Recorder” audio recording app. The app's design and quality may vary based on the phone brand and Android version, but it is simple to use.
- Turn on the Recorder app. A message will be displayed in notifications.
- Click the record button to begin recording the chosen audio.
- Tap the pause button to stop recording.
- Save or delete the recording and name it for easy access.
Although it is really simple to name the recording file, it is quite important since this enables you to locate the file easily especially when you have several audio recordings.
Of course, the app needs authorization to use your phone's microphone and save data before you can start recording anything. When you launch the Recorder app for the first time, you will be prompted to approve those permissions.
Although the Android Recorder app is amazing, it is relatively restricted in its possibilities. You may install a variety of additional audio recording applications on your Android phone to increase their functionality.
Take care details when using clip on microphone for android
To ensure good audio output, there are some details that you need to pay attentions to during recording:
- Make sure the plugs are compatible with your phone if you're adding an external microphone.
- Make sure you are taking up enough sound without overpowering the microphones by keeping an eye on your sound settings.
- Monitoring the recording simultaneously aids in bringing the levels within range.
- Getting near to the sound source allows you to capture the desired sound while reducing surrounding noise.
- Depending on your sampling rate, sound files might be rather huge, so be sure you have enough storage.
- Before pressing record, turn on airplane mode on your phone to prevent phone calls during the recording process.
- Find a pleasant, quiet space. It's not a good idea to record in a noisy environment like a coffee shop or restaurant, but with a shotgun mic like the SYNCO U1T, one of the best android microphones for recording outside, you can get a fantastic recording even there.
- Observe the wind. Your audio is likely to be broken by even a light breeze blowing directly into a sensitive microphone. If you must be outside, find a place protected from the wind.
Store audio files properly
Now that you have recorded the audio successfully with your lavalier microphone for android, you need a place to store the audio file. Some apps use the storage space on your smartphone to store the recording. Unless you run out of storage or your phone becomes misplaced or destroyed, this is usually good.
Your recordings can be permanently destroyed if your phone is lost or damaged. This frequently occurs and can lead to irreplaceable audio recordings being lost. Fortunately, there are techniques to avoid losses like these in addition to simply using your phone with extreme caution.
Save your audio recordings to Google Drive or Dropbox. This is a smart approach to guard against losing them. After that, you may still access them even if you misplace or damage your phone. After entering your account credentials, some applications will automatically backup recordings using Google Drive or Dropbox.
Be sure to consider an app's storage capacity before choosing it. This is not to say that applications that save audio recordings to your phone are terrible, but you should be aware that if you truly want to keep your recordings secure, you should find another location to store them and regularly back them up.
A note on audio port on a typical android
It's important to keep in mind that Android is an operating system developed by Google rather than a particular kind of smartphone. Therefore, an Android phone refers to a phone with the Android OS.
Android smartphones differ greatly among different manufacturers and between the many models made by each manufacturer, despite the fact that the operating system may be the identical.
Do they thus apply multiple audio input techniques? Generally, there are 3 ways for smartphones to accept audio:
- Headphone jack
- Charging port
- Bluetooth
Headphone Jack
This is a 3.5mm TRRS jack. It has two standards that differ between newer and older smartphones.
CTIA standard in newer smartphone:
- Tip: Left headphone
- Ring: Right headphone
- Ring: Ground
- Sleeve: Microphone
OMTP standard in older version:
- Tip: Left headphone
- Ring: Right headphone
- Ring: Microphone
- Sleeve: Ground
Many manufacturers have imitated Apple after it opted to do away with the headphone port in its iPhones starting in 2016 (with the iPhone 7). In fact, headphone ports are sometimes completely absent from modern cellphones. Despite this, a lot of Android devices are still in use today that feature a headphone jack. A few adapters also accept 3.5 TRRS as an input and output digital data through a charging port connection.
Charging Port
In relation to charging port connections, this is now the most typical way to hardwire wired or wireless lavalier microphone to android phone. This is due to the fact that, as aforementioned, many smartphones no longer have analog headphone ports.
An Android smartphone's standard charging port is a USB C type.
This 24-pin USB-C system has a connection that is two-fold rotationally symmetrical. External android plug in clip on microphone with USB-C outputs is created with built-in analog-to-digital converters since the USB-C connector transmits digital audio. The micro-USB is also widely used in older devices with a headphone port.
Bluetooth
Most Android smartphones can receive signals from Bluetooth lavalier microphone for android since they are equipped with Bluetooth, which facilitates wireless connections between devices. This requires a microphone capable of emitting a Bluetooth signal and an app able to receive the signal. The majority of Bluetooth mic applications have been centered on the video industry, with most Bluetooth microphones being lavaliers that allow wireless transmission of speech.
Conclusion
Your smartphone is completely able to create spectacular audio and video projects; it is only the outmoded microphone that is preventing you from doing so. Purchasing a lavalier microphone for android might help you get started with your video or audio production goals. If you're new to content production and want to experiment before investing in full recording gear, starting with an external mic is a wonderful place to start. And we hope the aforementioned steps can help you start android phone recording simply.